Existing telecommunications energy monitoring methods are very coarse. For instance, energy management systems and methods have traditionally been utilized at a site level (e.g., a central office site or a wireless site). For example, historically a telecommunication organization simply monitored energy consumption of a single site by way of regularly comparing the site's utility bills from month to month. While this approach helps ensure that the telecommunication site's energy consumption is at least consistent, it does not provide visibility to power consumption by each piece of telecommunication equipment arranged in the telecommunication site.
As such, telecommunications companies are beginning to monitor power consumption at a power distribution system level. Specifically, telecommunications companies are beginning to monitor power consumption at a primary power distribution level (e.g., a battery distribution feeder bay (BDFB)). For example, a telecommunications company may monitor energy consumption of a primary power distribution system by monitoring a current shunt monitor of the primary power distribution system. While this approach provides visibility to power consumption at the primary power distribution level, it also does not provide visibility to power consumption by each piece of telecommunication equipment arranged in the telecommunication site.
In addition, power protection devices exist that have current monitors integrated and/or housed in the power protection device. For example, fuses exist that have a Hall Effect sensor mounted in the fuse assembly to measure a current of the fuse. Circuit breakers exist that have a current sensor assembly structurally fastened to, and integrated (e.g., internally wired) with, the circuit breaker forming a single integrated current sensor/circuit breaker assembly. While this approach provides visibility to power consumption at the equipment level, if the sensor fails, the whole sensor/circuit breaker assembly must be replaced.